Councillors in Barrhead have been given a guided tour of the new £22m Asda store in the town.

The tour was organised by Barr Construction and Asda to mark the completion of the steel frame of the new building.

Construction of the facility started at the end of 2013 and work on site has been progressing well.

With the steel frame now complete, the contractor has started works on the external walls and roof installation to finalise the building before interior fit out works can commence.

The supermarket is being constructed on a sloped site which will see the main sales-floor level with Barrhead Main Street, with car parking provided beneath. At this stage of the project, the foundations are complete and ground works will continue over the next few months. In addition, works are also well under way to redirect the Kirkton Burn culvert which originally ran through the site, but is now being upgraded and diverted in order to run around the new petrol station, which will be located at the entrance to the main site.

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Once complete, the supermarket will incorporate a car park for up to 250 cars, with provision for Parent and Child parking and for customers with disabilities, as well as a petrol station. There will also be cycle parking spaces to encourage more sustainable forms of transport and two electronic car charge points.

Other proposals for the supermarket include a range of public realm, access and green space improvements to the front and rear of the store.

Commenting on the project, Paul Happell, Senior Project Manager for Barr Construction, said: "With the foundations and steel frame complete, this is the stage where the building really starts to take shape and residents can properly appreciate the form the store will take.

"Barr Construction is proud to be playing an integral role in the redevelopment of the town centre and we remain on course to complete the store within the programme timescales."

Mr Happell continued: "As our second project for Asda following the opening of the Dundee store last year, we are looking forward to the successful completion of the project this summer and to continuing our relationship with the retailer in the future."

David Lepley, Asda's Regional Director for Supermarkets, added: "Local residents will now be able to see the steel frame structure from Main Street which has gone up over the last month. The store is starting to take shape as we move closer to opening day and we're extremely excited to be investing in Barrhead and opening the store later this summer."

(JP/IT)